What Looks Good in Front of Japanese Yew Shrubs?

Ground-Covers

• Low-growing ground-covers can fill empty space around a Japanese yew. Choices include sulphur flower (Eriogonum umbellatum ), a North American native that grows up to 12 inches tall and 3 feet wide. Hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8, this perennial ground-cover blooms in summer, producing aromatic, yellow flowers that attract butterflies. Sulphur flower performs best in a sunny, well-draining site. If you want ground-cover with year-round foliage, then bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi "Big Bear") is an option. The evergreen plant grows 6 to 12 inches tall and 3 to 6 feet wide, forming a carpet of shiny foliage that takes on a red tinge in winter. Bearberry displays white-pink flowers in spring followed by red berries. It's hardy in USDA zones 2 through 7 and grows well in a sunny, dry site.

Ornamental Grasses

• Ornamental grasses offer vertical interest and color, and they add a rustling sound to the landscape with every passing breeze. Japanese yew companion ornamental grasses include blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), a 2-foot-tall grass that thrives in a sunny, dry location. The North American native has red-purple flowers in summer, and its blue-green foliage turns purple in fall. Blue grama grass is hardy in USDA zones 3 through 10. Another possibility is "Golden Toupee" fescue (Festuca glauca "Golden Toupee"), which provides a splash of bright, yellow-green coloring. A small, drought-tolerant cultivar of blue fescue, this grass grows 6- to 9-inch-tall clumps of fine, chartreuse foliage and is hardy in USDA zones 4 through 7. "Golden Toupee" performs best in sunny and dry to medium-dry conditions.

Perennials

• If you prefer color through the growing season, plant perennials that flower at different times. Sea thrift (Armeria maritima) blooms with showy, pink and white flowers in spring. This 6- to 12-inch-tall perennial is hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8 and grows best in a sunny, dry spot. For summer blossoms, plant snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum), a 6- to 12-inch-tall perennial hardy in USDA zones 3 through 7. The sun-loving plant produces white flowers that offset yew's dark foliage. Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) produces yellow flowers from July through September. Hardy in USDA zones 3 through 8, the North American native grows to 2 to 3 feet tall and thrives in full sun.

Annuals

• Plant sun-loving annuals near your Japanese yew for even more color. Choices include cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus), a versatile annual that grows up to 6 feet tall and produces brilliant-yellow blossoms. Cosmos thrives in a sunny site and tolerates dry soil. Plains coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria) provides more bright color. This 2- to 4-foot-tall annual blooms from late spring through fall and attracts butterflies; each of its flowers has golden, daisylike petals around a red-brown center. Coreopsis performs best in a spot with full-sun exposure and well-draining soil.